Jack hefted a rifle in his right hand, and Kane noticed the disapproval on the other man’s face when he took in his sister’s state of undress. He could imagine what Tanner was thinking, seeing her clad only in a blanket.
“I’m so happy to see you, Jack.” Cady said again. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”
“‘Course I am.”
“How did you find us?”
“I was headed back to the fort and looking for shelter from the rain. Smelled the smoke from your fire and found the horses down below. I saw the army brand on them and knew it was safe to come up.”
He looked down at her, then glared hard at Kane. “You’re supposed to be looking after my sister, Carrington. There are renegade Indians on the loose. What are you doing out here with her, in the middle of nowhere?”
Kane saw the frown on her face when Cady looked up at her brother. “Jack, listen.”
Jack never glanced at her. “Carrington, this is a dangerous place for a wedding trip, and pretty irresponsible if you ask me. But if you aren’t married to my sister, you’re in a hell of a lot of trouble.”
13
Cady watched the two men eye each other like warring wildcats. She had to do something before her brother really lost his temper.
“For pity’s sake, Jack, calm down,” she said.
“I’m not talking to you.” Jack narrowed his gaze on Kane. “You didn’t answer my question, Carrington. You married? Or is my sister standing there, wearing practically nothing, in front of a man who’s not her husband?”
“You had better start talking to me,” Cady said, even as she self-consciously tightened her grip on her blanket. “And the answer is no.”
“No what? I can see that you’re wearing only—”
“No, we’re not married. But you don’t need to get so excited.”
Kane set his gun down on a rock, then stood up straight, tall and strong, not backing down in the face of her brother’s displeasure. Cady’s heart swelled with pride and love. It didn’t matter that all day she had wanted to throttle him with her bare hands.
Kane stood a foot away from Jack. “Stay out of this, Cady. This is between your brother and me.”
“There’s no way I’m staying out of this,” she said.
“So you’re taking the blame, Carrington?” Jack said, completely ignoring her. He cradled his rifle in his arms like a newborn baby.
“If there’s any blame to be had, it’s mine,” Cady said, looking at first one man and then the other. “I came out here on my own to find you. None of this is Kane’s fault.”
“I take full responsibility.” Kane met the other man’s gaze squarely, also disregarding her.
“My father always said a man who apologizes when there’s no need knows something you don’t.” Jack’s eyes were black as coal.
Kane calmly met his look. “That was no apology, Tanner. It’s a fact.”
Cady moved forward and gripped a handful of her brother’s linen shirt. “Listen to me, Jack!”
He looked down at her, and she knew she finally had his attention. She shivered as a chill wind found its way inside her blanket to her bare skin.
“Let’s go inside by the fire. Are you hungry? I know I am. I was just about to make some coffee.”
“You plan to put some clothes on first?”
She looked down. “About my clothes. You see, Jack, this is what happened. I came to look for you because Cuchillo has sworn to kill you, to get even with you for taking his brother’s life.”
Jack’s jaw looked hard as the rock ledge they stood on. He took a step toward Kane. “You brought her out here knowing there’s Indian trouble? I ought to break your neck.”
Cady pressed her hand against her brother’s chest. “For pity sake, Jack! That’s not the way it happened. Will you please calm down and listen?”
Jack shot Kane a deadly look. “I’m all ears.”
“Kane didn’t bring me out here. In fact, he locked me in the guardhouse to keep me from leaving the fort. I came by myself. You were in trouble and I came to warn you. He followed after me because he was worried about me.”
“That’s the truth?” He studied her carefully, to see if she was lying.
“I swear it. I love you, Jack. You’re my brother. I couldn’t stand by and do nothing, knowing there was an Indian somewhere who’s sworn to kill you. I was afraid for you.” Her voice caught and she bit her lip.
“Sounds like my little sister,” Jack said, and his expression softened. It lasted until he looked at Kane. “If you locked her up, how’d she get out?”
Cady released his shirt. “R. J. helped me. You know him, don’t you? Major Wexler’s son.” She sucked air between her teeth as she shivered again. “It’s chilly up here in the mountains. I thought I’d never be cold again.”
“So why are you standing there in a blanket?”
Cady looked down at her bare feet. Jack had always been able to read her easily, and the last thing she wanted was for him to know what had happened the night before. She turned away from him as she felt the flush that crept into her cheeks.
“What’s wrong, Cady?” Jack’s voice was hard.
“Not a blessed thing. I’m wearing a blanket because my clothes are soaked. Last night it took hours just for my underthings to dry.”
She heard the words and too late wished to have them back. She whirled around, and even in the deepening shadows she could see Jack eyeing Kane with nothing short of murder in his expression.
“What were you wearing during the night?” Jack asked. If his tone was hard before, this time it was like steel.
“A blanket. My clothes were soaked from the rain. I’d have caught my death if I didn’t get out of them and let everything dry. It was a matter of survival, Jack.”
The story was true as far as it went. Her brother didn’t have to know the rest. He wouldn’t understand.
Jack ran a knuckle gently over her cheekbone. His eyes smoldered with an emotion she didn’t understand. It was especially puzzling when a hint of a tender smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “What happened last night, Cady?” he asked softly.
“Nothing much.” Her gaze rose to the top of his shirt, just below his bearded chin. She couldn’t quite look him in the eye. “I started a fire so we could get warm. Then we went to sleep.”
“You never were a very good liar.” He rested his rifle against a rock, took her upper arms, and kissed her forehead softly. “I’m sorry,” he said gruffly.
Then he moved her out of the way, stood in front of Kane, and punched him in the eye. Cady was horrified.
Kane staggered back, then caught himself and raised his fists. “I don’t want to fight you, Tanner. Let it go. What’s done is done.”
“So you admit you bedded my sister.”
“I never denied it.”
Jack moved forward as swiftly and gracefully as a cat. He grabbed the front of Kane’s shirt with one hand and brought his fist back and punched him again.
“Jack, stop it!” Cady screamed, shocked at his violence.
Kane lowered his head and grabbed Jack around the waist so he couldn’t land another blow. The two men struggled, each trying to get the upper hand.
“Stop it!” She was shouting at both of them and they ignored her, as usual. She moved forward and pulled on Jack’s arm. The distraction made him drop his hold, allowing Kane to pull free.
Jack stood there for a moment with his boots braced wide apart, breathing hard. He brushed his forearm across his forehead and glared at Kane. Then he leaped at the other man again and hit him in the mouth. Kane grabbed him again, and even to Cady it was obvious that he wasn’t throwing punches. He was merely trying to contain the other man, to keep him from inflicting damage.
Once again she was proud of Kane. At the same time, she couldn’t help feeling that if he hauled off and knocked Jack’s teeth down his throat, she wouldn’t have blamed him. But he didn’t. The muscles in his arms bulged and strained aga
inst the material of his uniform as he exerted every ounce of energy trying to immobilize a man of his own size and strength. Their grunts and panting mingled together and echoed through the rocks.
Cady couldn’t stand by and do nothing. She moved forward and grabbed Jack’s ear, pulling as hard as she could.
“Ow!” he cried, reaching up to cover it. “Let go, Sis. What the hell are you doing?”
“There’s a foolish boy sleeping in many a grown man you’d call sensible.” Cady hung on and pulled until he went still. “That’s something else Father used to say. But I’m telling you this: If you’re going to act like a schoolboy, I’ll treat you like a schoolboy. And I’ve had my share of practice with this sort of thing.”
“Ow!” he cried when she yanked again. “Dammit, Sis, you made your point. You can let go now.”
She glared at him. “Can I? Before I do, I want to make it quite clear that I don’t need you to fight for my honor. Whatever happened or didn’t happen between myself and Captain Carrington is my business. I will take care of it. I don’t need you to behave like a ruffian on my behalf. I will not permit it.”
“I get the message,” he said, his head tilted to the side as she held his earlobe.
Kane watched brother and sister and admired the hell out of Cady. Jack Tanner was over six feet tall. The top of her head barely reached the underside of his jaw, yet she had him at her mercy. He couldn’t help smiling.
“At ease, Cady. Let him go. It’s over. Right, Tanner? We’ll handle it.”
Jack nodded, then winced when she pinched his ear tighter.
“You haven’t heard a word I’ve said, either of you.” Cady glared from one man to the other. “What makes you think I want you to handle anything? There’s nothing to handle. I want you to stop fighting, that’s all.”
“I won’t lay another hand on him,” Jack said, trying to ease out of her grasp.
“Do you swear?” Cady asked.
Jack nodded, then grimaced. “Let me go.”
Cady released him and he backed away, standing beside Kane as he rubbed his ear.
She looked at both of them. Kane’s split and bleeding lip made her wince and his eye was beginning to swell. She was partly to blame for what had happened and she felt guilty. But she pushed the feeling away. Second-guessing was a waste of time.
“Now then,” she said. “I did what I set out to do. I found Jack and I warned him. I don’t much care what the two of you do. But I’m going inside by the fire and make some coffee.”
Kane watched the other man massage his sore ear and thought it prudent not to point out that her brother had found her, not the other way around. He met Tanner’s gaze and knew, in spite of what Cady had said about taking care of herself, that her brother wasn’t to be discouraged so easily.
Jack picked up his rifle and pointed the barrel at Kane’s chest.
Cady gasped. “What in the world are you doing?”
“Sorry, Sis. If Father were here he’d be doing this instead of me. But it’s got to be done.” He looked at Kane. “Choose right, Carrington, and we’ll have a wedding. Choose wrong and we’ll have a funeral. Doesn’t make much difference to me.”
“You can’t be serious, Jack!” Cady cried.
“Dead serious.”
Cady stepped in front of Kane. “Then you’ll have to shoot me first.”
“You don’t understand, Cady. Let me talk to Jack man to man.” Kane settled his hands on her arms and tried to move her out of the way. She wouldn’t budge.
“My future is at stake too. I will not have it decided without putting in my two cents.” She glared at her brother. “The truth is, Jack, I refuse to marry him. You’re going to have to shoot me. But heaven knows how you’ll explain that to Mother.”
Jack nodded thoughtfully. “Can’t argue with that. But have you considered your reputation? You just spent the night alone with him. Everyone at the fort will know it. If you don’t marry him, do you really think anyone will let you teach their children?”
She trembled and Kane squeezed her arms in a reassuring gesture. “The parents at the fort are glad to have me there to teach and they’re happy with my performance. They wouldn’t stop me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Don’t threaten her, Tanner.”
“It’s not a threat.” Jack lifted his steely-eyed gaze to Kane. “And what do you suppose will happen to your career when Major Wexler hears about this?”
“The major knows I followed Cady to bring her back safely.”
“Does he know you planned to bed her while you were at it?”
Kane’s hands went still. “That’s not the way it was.”
“Doesn’t matter. The major will see to it that you do the right thing by my sister, especially if my brother calls in some favors from his Washington contacts.”
Cady went rigid. “I can’t believe you’d do this to me. You’re my brother, Jack. Don’t you care about what I want? Don’t you care what’s best for me? Doesn’t it matter to you that Kane and I don’t love each other?”
“Some things are more important. Come hell or high water, there’s going to be a wedding when we get back to the fort.”
Kane sat behind his desk and looked up from his paperwork. His eye was not swollen so much, but now it was turning every shade of purple. He wished for the hundredth time that he’d put in for a transfer the day Cady had arrived. If it came through now, it would be too late.
Someone rapped sharply on his office door. “Come in,” he said.
As if his thoughts had produced her, Cady stepped inside, slammed the door, and marched across the room and stopped in front of him. This was the first time he’d seen her since they’d returned the day before.
His gut clenched and his pulse quickened at the sight of her beautiful flushed face.
“Hello, Kane,” she said.
“Cady. What are you doing here?”
“You have to put a stop to this wedding.”
Stunned, Kane put down his pen.
“Why?”
She looked him straight in the eye. “Because you don’t love me. And I”—her gaze lowered to just about the level of the button at the neck of his uniform”—I don’t love you.”
Jack was right. She was a lousy liar. She loved him, all right. She just wished she didn’t.
An odd sense of loss came over him. She was a beautiful, spirited woman. She had risked her life to protect Jack, and Kane knew she would do the same for any other man she loved. If only he could be that man!
The fact remained, they were stuck with each other.
“There’s more to consider besides love,” he said.
“Like what?” She lifted her chin slightly.
“Like what you want more than anything else in the world. Do you know what that is, Cady?”
She hesitated, then said, “To teach.”
“Then you have two choices. You can leave Fort McDowell and try to find another position without references. If you’re asked why you left here, you’ll have to tell them what happened.”
“And my second choice is to marry you.”
He nodded. “To protect your reputation.”
“What if I don’t?”
“Then none of the women on this post will give you the time of day, let alone allow you near their children.”
She began to pace restlessly. She stopped, looked out the window, then turned back to him. “I can’t believe this is happening. I came to the Territory to have a say in my own life, and now look.”
“You said yourself that everyone suffers the consequences of their actions.”
Her skirts swished as she walked over to his desk and placed her palms down on the wood. “So this is my fault?”
“Not entirely.”
She stepped back and folded her arms. “What do you want more than anything, Kane?”
“To be a soldier,” he replied without hesitation. “The army is like family to me. You risked your life to save
Jack. I’ll do what I have to do for my career. A scandal would ruin it.”
“So it seems we’re both suffering the consequences of our choices. Had I known the outcome would be so costly, I’d never have done what I did.”
He stood up. “If you had followed orders, none of this would have happened.”
“You’re absolutely right, captain. I wish I could argue with you but I can’t. I’ll tell you this: I won’t make the same mistake again.”
“Neither will I.”
“Jack left with a patrol for Fort Apache. He plans to bring the army chaplain back with him to marry us.”
“I know.”
“And you won’t stop it?”
In spite of what he said about his career, he could refuse to go through with the ceremony. His transfer would come through and eventually the gossip would die out and do him little damage. But it was different for Cady. She needed the protection of his name or her life would be ruined. After they were married, he would figure out how to get her out of the Territory. In the meantime, their fate was sealed.
“I can’t stop it.”
She nodded grimly and walked over to the door, where she stopped and looked back at him. “I’m sorry about this, Kane. I truly wish my mistake didn’t affect you. I’m sorry Jack found us, and I’m sorry he hit you. And I’m sorry—”
“Forget it,” he said, rubbing a knuckle above his colorful eye. “I guess I’ll see you at the wedding.”
“I guess. Too bad you don’t have a uniform to match that purple shiner.” Then she was gone.
Kane wasn’t sorry. He was angry, at himself and at her. She didn’t want to be married to him. He would do his best to make it seem as little like a marriage as possible.
Two days after her conversation with Kane, Cady paced in her quarters. Jack had wired that he’d be arriving later that day, and the wedding ceremony was scheduled to start as soon as the chaplain had time to freshen up.
Rays from the setting sun shining through the window blinded her and she turned away. She sighed. In a few hours, she would be sharing this room with Kane. She would be Mrs. Kane Carrington.
Reckless Destiny Page 20
